Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Aug 27: Meta is set to introduce sweeping new safety measures for teenagers on Instagram and Facebook, including a combined two-hour daily usage limit and an overnight access restriction.
The measures are part of an agreement linked to a reported USD 18-billion settlement involving 29 US states, aimed at strengthening protections for children and teenagers on social media.
Under the proposed rules, teenagers will be allowed a maximum of two hours of combined usage across Facebook and Instagram each day. The limit will apply across multiple accounts, with Meta planning measures to prevent users from bypassing the restriction.
Once the daily limit is reached, access to the platforms will be blocked unless a parent approves additional screen time.
Meta is also planning a Night Mode that will prevent teenagers from accessing Facebook and Instagram between midnight and 6 am. In addition, users will receive reminders to take a break after every 15 minutes of continuous activity.
The new measures will give parents greater control over the content their children see. Parents will be able to opt for non-personalised feeds that do not rely on Meta's recommendation algorithms. Autoplay can also be disabled by parents or teenagers.
During school hours, between 8 am and 3 pm, most push notifications will be silenced, except for important alerts such as security notifications and direct messages.
Meta is also expanding restrictions on certain extreme cosmetic filters and plans to hide like and reaction counts from teenagers by default.
The company is further calling on other major social media platforms, including TikTok and YouTube, to adopt similar safeguards. According to the reported agreement, a portion of the settlement is linked to whether comparable protections are introduced by the platforms.
Meta is also strengthening its systems to identify teenagers who attempt to circumvent age restrictions by providing false dates of birth.
The company said the measures are intended to create a safer digital environment for young users while giving parents greater control over their children's social media use.